Heavy Metal Reviews

We Are The OceanInterview with Jake Spence

We Are The Ocean conversation

WE
ARE THE OCEAN are going to release their third record Maybe
Today, Maybe Tomorrow these days. The Britsh alternative
rockers and former post-hardcore outfit have gone through a lot of
changes the
last months. Leaving their ALEXISONFIRE-rip off sound behind as well as
their
shouter Dan Brown. Jake Spence, bass guitarist of the four-piece, is
answering
some questions about the new line-up as well as the new record.

Before we talk about the new record,
let‘s talk about your line-up
change. Your vocalist Dan left the band. What were his reasons to leave
the
band?

Jake
Spence: There was a
multitude of reasons: at the forefront was the shape and progression
our music
was taking, and where coarse and violent vocals fit in or rather, where
they
didn't. Another was an issue of focus, and where certain focusses lay.
A member
leaving a band is by no means a new occurance in the music scene, and
we're
ready to keep pushing forward.

Liam took over the vacant spot. Did you ever think
about getting a new
frontman or was it your first idea to let Liam take over the whole
singing?

It
was never a question of
replacing Dan. It was never a case of finding someone to fill his
shoes. When
the transition took place, we realised musically we could carry on as a
four-piece
without much trouble.

What were the fans‘s reaction like? How
did they react at your first
shows without Dan?

It
was a mixed bag, as ever. The
view I take is, this new album sounds how it sounds, if Dan were on it
it would
still sound how it sounds, so if people miss the coarse vocals we
introduced on
our first album, they might not have liked the new album anyway. A lot
of
people have been very open to the transition though, appreciating the
need for
growth, and that the musicianship is still there.

How do you handle your old songs now that
Dan‘s shouting is missing on
stage? How will your present these songs live with the new line-up?

Tackling
the old songs -
particularly those on Go Now And Live
- hasn't been too much of a struggle. We are all singers, and Alfie
especially
can take on much if the dual-vocal parts with ease.

Besides that vocal-thing, what is the main
difference between Maybe Today, Maybe
Tomorrow and
your past releases?

Besides
the clichéd 'maturity'
answer, it is the most honest album we're written lyrically, and the
most we
have experimented with new ideas and new instruments.

As well as Go Now
And Live your
new release is a departure of the post-hardcore/ALEXISONFIRE-sound of
your
debut ep and album. I didn‘t have a chance to interview you
after the release
of the deluxe edition ofCutting Our Teeth,
so what were your reasons to change your style and play more melodic
and
straight rock songs?

We
always wanted to play
straight-up rock songs. With Cutting Our
Teeth, we will all finding our feet as musicians, let alone
in which genre
we wanted to be in. I feel we were very influenced by the scene around
us on
that album. Perhaps writing what we thought people wanted to hear, as
opposed
to what we wanted to write - as soon as we delivered more confidence in
writing
and in the band as a unit, we soon shook the post-hardcore tag.

How much did it anoy you to be compared to
ALEXISONFIRE? This was
normally the main referrence for your band that people used to
describle your
sound?

On
the one hand, it did get a
little frustrating at times just because it happrned so often, but at
the same
time we respect ALEXISONFIRE as a band and realised there could easily
be worse
comparisons to be drawn. There were inevitable similarities on our
first album,
but we never strived to be the 'British ALEXISONFIRE' and had as many
differences as we did similarities. Fortunately, those comparisons are
few and
far-between now, I think we enjoy getting a conpletely new comparison
in a
review, as different people see different sides to the songs, as
opposed to
pinpointing it to one act.

The first song you released off that record
is Bleed. It got played at
BBC Radio. Is it
a strange feeling to hear your own songs on Britain‘s most
important radio
station or what were your feelings like?

It's
certainly taken some
getting used to. Radio 1 have put a lot of effort into supporting
British rock
recently, and have really been behind us, and we are really thankful
for it. It
can still be surreal hearing your song randomly on the radio at 7am,
though!

You‘ve played big stages and small clubs.
What do you prefer? And why?

Every
show is good in it's own
right. There's a certain 'wow' factor you get from playing a big stage,
but
some of the relation the crowd can be lost in the space, whilst in a
small
dingey club everyone is on the same page. We love them both!

This fall you play your first proper European
headlining tour. What can
fans expect from these dates? How much will these shows differ from the
shows
they might have seen you
supporting HAWTHORNE HEIGHTS for
example.

Well,
it's our first ever
headline tour outside of the UK, so they will certainly be
special shows
to be at. We've all put on beer bellies over the festival season, so we
need to
make sure these shows are as sweaty as can be to lost them.